Grand Gulf II?An announcement of an upcoming book came from the University of Arkansas Press this week. The book is the second in a two-part series on journalism in this country. Its conclusion is that journalism, especially watchdog-type reporting, isn't what it used to be. Sheer numbers of reporters have dwindled, and with that depressed corps has gone the ability of America's free press to keep an eye on those who spend the public's money and make laws t...

Congratulations!Hear that buzz in the air? It's not a loud, annoying sound. It's more of a quiet, low energy that's been getting incrementaly louder each day of the past few weeks. It'll reach it's crescendo this morning, just before the first pitch of the 2002 16-Year-Old Babe Ruth World Series. We can positively feel the excitement for this event. And we're not alone. All the families who have welcomed these young men into their homes are beaming with enthu...

Few options for stateThe former head of Little Rock's school board said Tuesday that the state should consider a lottery to help fund ailing public schools. Skip Rutherford explained a simple truth - conventional funding hasn't done the job, isn't doing the job now and won't do the job in the future. He's right. For the second time, a court has said what we already knew - public schools don't provide all the state's students with an adequate or equitable education...

Let's play baseball!We extend an Arkansas River Valley welcome to everyone who's visiting our fair area for the 16-year-old Babe Ruth World Series, presented by First Arkansas Valley Bank. We hope you enjoy your stay and return sometime for another visit. We're certain that you'll find quite a few hospitable folks around here - this Series has been the talk of the town for weeks. When you're not at the ball park, be sure to take in some of the attractions and fea...

11 Days of TributeIn just more than a month, the United States will mark the one-year anniversary - that seems like the wrong word, memorial is a better one - of last fall's terrorist attacks in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. The events of that morning are still fresh in our memory, and emotions still run high when we think about 9-11. The months since the attacks have perhaps led to some healing, but certainly the wounds are still ever-present - in eve...

Alert system worksA horrific ordeal for two California teen-age girls ended as positively as it could Thursday as authorities shot and killed the man suspected of abducting, raping and planning to kill them. The girls have been reunited with their families. Other parents, though, will never see their young children again. In recent weeks, a number of children have been snatched from their homes. Some of their dead bodies have been found. Others remain missing, ...

No legal excuseRemember the scene in The Sons of Katie Elder where John Wayne and Dean Martin and the other Elder boys dive into the river and scramble under a bridge to hide from their captors? Until Thursday night, that was the best example of ducking for cover that we've seen, but the Pope County Quorum Court put the Duke to shame. Shoving county attorney Jim Coutts out front to wave the white flag of dubious legality, the justices avoided the issue of wh...

Nine needed projectsRegular readers of this page have noticed pictures we've been running lately that chart various deficiencies of Russellville's streets and drainage structures. We've been headlining these pictures as Reason No. 1, Reason No. 2, et al why voters should support a sales tax initiative to fund street, drainage and economic development purposes. Today, we'll just dispense with the picture and create a top - oh, we don't know - top nine (in honor of...

Ready for first pitchIn just a few days, the Arkansas River Valley will have an opportunity to showcase its locales, people and culture to visitors from around the country. The 16-year-old Babe Ruth World Series is just around the corner, and we're ready for the first pitch. Be sure to catch next Wednesday's edition of The Courier. It will contain a pre-tournament section that will feature the competing teams and include a number of informative features on the Bab...

Taunting Saddam?For the past few weeks, we've seen war scenarios with Iraq bandied about on television like they're game plans for a football game. Navy, you set up a screen. Army, you cut across the flat. Air Force, you go deep. Ready, break! The only thing missing from this war talk was John Madden. Readers of newspapers and television viewers saw maps and graphics that showed in stark detail how and where U.S. armed forces would streak across Iraq and into...